The Lions need either a win over the Packers or a Falcons’ loss at home to the Bucs to give them the #5 seed in the playoffs.  That means the Lions are going to play this like a regular game.  They are on a 3-game winning streak right now.  The Packers got back on the winning track against the Bears last weekend.  The Packers will likely get their starters a little work in the first quarter, before putting in the second team.  The Packers beat the Lions 27-15 in Detroit on Thanksgiving.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to come out throwing the ball against the Packers.  They need the O-Line to give Matt Stafford time to throw the ball so that he can have another huge game.  Stafford is going to spread the ball around to Calvin Johnson, Titus Young, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler are likely going to overwhelm the Packers’ backups on D.  The Lions are going to rest Kevin Smith in this game, which could set up Maurice Morris for a lot of carries this Sunday.

When the Packers have the ball:  The Lions aren’t likely going to have to worry about Aaron Rodgers and his excellent receiving corps too much in this game as the Packers have nothing to gain by playing them.  Matt Flynn will be playing QB most of this game for the Packers and this will be a showcase for him as he will be a free agent this summer.  He will have to beat the Lions with the backup WRs, TEs and RBs as the Packers are going to look like a team playing in the pre-season.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 31, PACKERS 20

26-year old WR Calvin Johnson will be heading to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games for the Lions so far this year and he has caught 85 passes for 1,437 yards (16.9 avg) with 15 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards so far this year.  Johnson has now played in 75 games in his first five years with the Lions and he has caught 355 passes for 5,628 yards (15.9 avg) with 48 TD grabs.  Johnson has also carried the ball 19 times for 167 yards (8.8 ypc) with 1 TD run in this career.  If Johnson can stay healthy a few more years, he will not only be the best receiver the Lions have ever had but he will be a Hall of Famer.

The Lions have waived 26-year old RB Aaron Brown.  Brown played in 1 game for the Lions this year in which he carried the ball 1 time for 0 yards and he also caught 1 pass for 9 yards.  Brown played in 22 games in parts of three years with the Lions and he carried the ball 45 times for 189 yards (4.2 ypc).  He also caught 18 passes for 138 yards (7.7 avg) with 1 TD grab for the Lions.  The Lions won’t miss Brown too much going forward.

The Lions surged to a very impressive win over the Chargers last weekend.  They clinched their first playoff experience since  1999.  The Lions were up 24-0 at the half and they never looked back.  Matt Stafford was almost perfect in this game as he completed 29 of 36 passes for 373 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Kevin Smith led the way on the ground for the Lions in this game with 49 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.3 ypc) with 1 TD run and he also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Maurice Morris pitched in with 22 yards rushing on 5 carries (4.4 ypc).  WR Calvin Johnson (4 rec, 102 yards, TD), WR Nate Burleson (6 rec, 83 yards) and TE Brandon Pettigrew (9 rec, 80 yards, TD) led the way for the Lions in the passing game.  TE Tony Scheffler (3 rec, 47 yards) and WR Titus Young (4 rec, 39 yards) also pitched in for the Lions in this game.  The Lions finished up with 87 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 36 passes (80.6%) for 353 yards as they had possession of the ball for 32:21.

The defense gave up quite a few yards in this game but they also made huge plays to negate the yards.  LB Justin Durant (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit), CB Eric Wright (8 tackles) and LB Stephen Tulloch (7 tackles) led the way for the Lions in this game.  CB Chris Houston (3 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception that he returned 43 yards) and DE Cliff Avril (an interception that he returned 4 yards for a TD) also had big plays in this game for the Lions.  The Chargers finished up with 70 yards rushing on 16 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 53 passes (52.8%) for 297 yards.  The Lions are now 10-5 on the year.

The Lions can clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 1999 with a win today.  The Lions have won two games in a row, but they weren’t easy wins against the Vikings & Raiders.  They are going to have to really step up to beat the Chargers.  The Chargers also need this game if they are going to make the playoffs this year.  The Chargers are red hot right now as they have won their last three games by a combined score of 109-38!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to come out throwing the ball against the Chargers.  Matt Stafford should have time to throw the ball, so he’s going to likely get the ball to Calvin Johnson a lot in this game.  He will spread the ball around to, as he will make the Chargers pay for ganging up to stop Johnson.  Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler, Nate Burleson and Titus Young will all be in on the action in the passing game today.  Kevin Smith will lend ground support for the Lions today.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Chargers are a really good offensive team as they run the ball well (117.4 yards rushing per game) and they pass it even better (272.6 yards passing per game), so the Lions’ D better be ready for a challenge.  RBs Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert are both outstanding runnners and receivers out of the backfield.  The front seven is going to have to stop (or at least slow down) the Chargers’ running game, while still putting pressure on Philip Rivers.  That is going to be easier said than done.  Rivers has a lot of big targets in Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson and Malcom Floyd, so the corners and safeties are going to be challenged all day long.

PREDICTION:  CHARGERS 31, LIONS 30

The Detroit Lions snatched a victory from the Jaws of Defeat yesterday in Oakland.  Matt Stafford led the Lions to 14 unanswered points in the last 7:47 of this game!  Ndamukong Suh blocked a 65-yard field goal attempt by Sebastian Janikowski to preserve this win on the last play of the game.  Matt Stafford completed 29 of 52 passes for 391 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Kevin Smith led the Lions in the running game today with 43 yards rushing on 15 carries (2.9 ypc).  WR Calvin Johnson led the way in the passing game for the Lions with 9 receptions for 214 yards (23.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  WR Nate Burleson (7 rec, 81 yards, TD), TE Brandon Pettigrew (5 rec, 49 yards) and WR Titus Young (5 rec, 21 yards, TD) also pitched in yesterday in the passing game for the Lions.  The Lions finished up with 57 yards rushing on 19 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 29 of 52 passes (55.8%) for 375 yards as they had possession of the ball for 28:27.

The defense was pretty awful for the Lions today.  LBs Stephen Tulloch (10 tackles) and DeAndre Levy (9 tackles) led the way for the Lions on D in this game.  DE Cliff Avril (4 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss and 2 QB hits) and CB Alphonso Smith (3 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) also pitched in for the Lions in this game.  The Raiders finished up with 132 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 32 of 40 passes (80%) for 345 yards.  The Lions are now 9-5 on the season and they are very much alive in the hunt for a wildcard spot in the playoffs.

The Lions got back on the right track last weekend with a tough 34-28 win over the Vikings.  The Lions really need this game if the are going to make the playoffs this year.  The problem the Lions have is that the Raiders need this game too for all of the same reasons that the Lions do.  The Raiders have lost their last two games by a combined score of 80-32!  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to get Kevin Smith back for this game as they should have more balance on offense.  The Raiders are giving up 141.0 yards rushing per game and 5.2 yards per carry so far this year, so Smith is in line for a nice game.  The Lions are going to have to give Matt Stafford time to throw the ball as the Raiders are a heavy blitzing team.  If he has time to throw the ball, he should have success getting it down the field to Calvin Johnson.  Brandon Pettigrew, Tony Scheffler, Titus Young and Nate Burleson give Stafford even more weapons to throw to and that will give the Raiders’ secondary fits in this game.

When the Raiders have the ball:  The Raiders are likely going to feed the ball to Michael Bush early in this game against a Lions’ D that is allowing 136.1 yards rushing per game and 5.1 yards per carry.  The Lions will have to slow Bush down and then get after Carson Palmer.  Palmer has a bunch of really fast WRs who love to run deep patterns, but Palmer is also prone to throwing pickoffs.  The Lions already have 18 interceptions so far this year, so they are likely to add to that total as Palmer sometimes gets sloppy with the ball.

PREDICTION:  LIONS 31, RAIDERS 23

It appears as if 23-year old QB Matt Stafford’s broken right index finger is feeling better as he is throwing the ball well once again.  He has turned into a nice little secret for Detroit as no one seems to be talking about how well he is playing in the national news.  They are focusing on heaping praise on Cam Newton and Tim Tebow, two QBs that Stafford is way better than right now.  Stafford has played in 13 games for the Lions so far this year and he has completed 327 of 516 passes (63.4%) for 3,754 yards with 29 TD passes and 14 INTs (92.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 19 times for 68 yards (3.6 ypc) so far this year.  Stafford has now played in 26 games in his first three years with the Lions and he has completed 585 of 989 passes (59.2%) for 6,556 yards with 48 TD passes and 35 INTs (80.4 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 43 times for 187 yards (4.3 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career so far.  I expect Stafford to keep improving as long as he can stay healthy.

The Lions rushed out to a 31-14 lead at the half before holding on for dear life at the end of this game.  Matt Stafford was efficient as he completed 20 of 29 passes for 227 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Keiland Williams led the way on the ground for the Lions yesterday with 43 yards rushing on 12 carries (3.6 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  WRs Titus Young (4 rec, 87 yards, TD) and TE Brandon Pettigrew (6 rec, 57 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Lions.  The Lions finished up with 72 yards rushing on 21 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 29 passes (69%) for 208 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:14.

The defense gave up a lot of yards, but they also put points on the scoreboard for the Lions yesterday.  LB Stephen Tulloch (9 tackles, 1 QB hit and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD) and DE Cliff Avril (8 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 3 tackles for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Lions on D in this game.  LB Bobby Carpenter (7 tackles), CB Alphonso Smith (5 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions including one that he returned 30 yards for a TD), CB Eric Wright (4 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception) and DT Sammie Hill (fumble recovery) also made some big plays for the Lions in this game.  The Vikings rushed for 269 yards on 35 carries (7.7 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 44 passes (52.3%) for 156 yards.  The Lions are now 8-5 on the season.

The Lions have waived 26-year old CB Brandon McDonald.  McDonald played in 11 games for the Lions this year and he had 17 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He played in 17 games in his two years with the Lions and he had 36 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  This says a lot about what the Lions think about McDonald as they have had a lot of injuries in the secondary lately.

UPDATE:  (12/22/2011) – The Lions have re-signed Brandon McDonald.